Cygnus A Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 A friend asked me to make this rustic art piece. It is almost done, but I need to decide if I will apply a finish to it or not. It is made from cedar planks that are rough on the top side. I planed everything on the back side for glue up and to get an even finish. Should I oil it? Worried about trying to poly coat it. It is glued to an 1/8inch hardboard. The full frame is not visible in this images, but you get the idea. I might just leave it bare. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Depends on the person but I'd leave cedar unfinished and hit it every once and a while with cedar oil. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 I don't think it's going to matter much. It's probably not going to survive very long since you glued it down to the hardboard. I sense warpage coming soon. I like sunburst tables they look cool. Aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 Are the cedar strips edge glued ? Is the art going to be outside ? My first thought is if the cedar strips expand it might pucker up like a volcano . But it does look pretty cool. Oil would certainly be easier. Hanging on an interior wall if it gets any sun the cedar would most likely dry out and shrink. I don't think the multitude of narrow cracks would even cause any appearance issues either. And oil would soak in pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 That's beautiful. Danish oil will enhance the color. I think I would be inclined to do that. As said above, You might prepare yourself for some shrinkage cracking and/or bowing due to expansion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus A Posted February 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 On 2/14/2018 at 7:14 AM, wdwerker said: Are the cedar strips edge glued ? Is the art going to be outside ? My first thought is if the cedar strips expand it might pucker up like a volcano . But it does look pretty cool. Oil would certainly be easier. Hanging on an interior wall if it gets any sun the cedar would most likely dry out and shrink. I don't think the multitude of narrow cracks would even cause any appearance issues either. And oil would soak in pretty well. 18 hours ago, Wimayo said: That's beautiful. Danish oil will enhance the color. I think I would be inclined to do that. As said above, You might prepare yourself for some shrinkage cracking and/or bowing due to expansion. Concerning the wood movement.. It will be hung indoors. I edge glued all of the strips together, and also glued them to a hardboard backing (rough side of hardboard took the glue). I am debating making a backing frame to try to stiffen it up. Think that will be needed or prevent the warping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus A Posted February 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 A little more detail: A friend asked me to make this rustic looking piece. It is made from cedar that I planed on 1 side to about 1/4inch thickness. I edge glued all of the slices together (took forever!), cut it square, then glued it to a hardboard backing. The border is 1/2 inch thick. How concerned should I be about warping? This will be indoors in a desert environment. The 1/8 hardboard stiffened it pretty well, but I am thinking about adding frame on the backside from plywood to give it more rigidity. Now her friend wants one, and I need a better way to clamp all of the wedges together. I glued 2 or 3 triangles together at a time since I had no good way of clamping more than that at once. How can I make the glue up and clamping easier? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 Even in the dry climate of the SW, you will have some changes in temp and humidity. Although the dry climate and indoor placement will minimize the effects, wood moves and there is no practical way to stop it from doing so. I hope I'm wrong that you will have some wood movement issues, but I don't think I am. Be prepared. You will have some splitting and/or buckling. Hopefully they will be small. That is a beautiful piece of work. if you do similar pieces in the future, I encourage you to figure a way to artistically allow for wood movement. Others here may have a different opinion, but re-sawing the radial pieces to veneer thickness (1/8" or less) may be the way to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 Blue tape makes a good clamp for other things don't know why it wouldn't work here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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